Doctors at a city hospital in Uttar Pradesh rebuilt a toddler’s skull bone through a sophisticated brain surgery utilizing a biomaterial implant made of porous polyethylene in what can only be described as a “medical” miracle (a high-density polymer being used for medical needs since 1985).
In January 2020, an infant from Rae Bareli was injured after falling from a rooftop.
The child was flown to Apollomedics Super Specialty Hospital’s neurosurgery department.
“The injury destroyed his skull bone and a piece of his left brain,” said Dr. Sunil Kumar Singh, a neurosurgeon. However, at the moment, preserving lives was a higher priority. The youngster spent a month in intensive care after surviving the trauma.”
Dr. Singh resorted to the DECRA treatment as per standard policy because the boy was too little for major surgery.
“This is a neurosurgical surgery that involves removing a portion of the skull to allow a swollen brain room to expand without being compressed. At the same time, the scattered bone was removed and conserved, ready to be implanted when the child was old enough. “The boy’s scalp was sealed in the meantime,” Dr. Singh recounted.
The boy was taken back to the hospital in July 2021, and a treatment to correct the condition was performed.
However, it did not provide the expected result, and the boy was admitted to the hospital again in September 2021.
“We discovered that the bone had been rejected, therefore the only choice was to use implants.” Things would have been a lot easier if the patient had been an adult. However, with children, the skull develops along with them, whereas implants do not. “Because of the inadequacies, we looked at various solutions, including a biomaterial implant comprised of porous polyethylene,” the surgeon explained.
In November 2021, the boy underwent surgery. He was deemed fit on Thursday, but the kid will be examined for a few more months.
“This is the first of its kind surgery in UP,” Dr Mayank Somani, CEO and Managing Director, stated. It is currently available in major cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai.” According to experts, once the bio-implant is in place, the size of the child’s head will not vary as he grows older since the implant will grow with him.
